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42
HOME HELP SERVICE
Miss J. E. Heath
Home Help Supervisor
"He is a friend who in difficulty helps by deeds
inhere there is need of deeds " Plautus.
It is doubtful if a more apt description could be found for
the Home Help Service than these words written more than 2000
years ago. The Home Help undoubtedly "helps by deeds" but
success lies in careful assessment of "where there is need of
deeds".
This Service continues to expand with the increase in the
Borough's aged population and in spite of offers of attractive
residential accommodation the popular demand is for home care.
Fundamentally this desire may well be based on a natural resistance
to being uprooted from familiar surroundings but the desire
to remain independant is so strong that far from wishing to
abandon responsibilities many old people readily accept the
challenge of daily efforts. The helping hand of the Home Help
is not gloved with officialdom but is the extension of the motivating
force of humanity which starts with the firm grasp of
Mother's hand and is found throughout life in friendship and
neighbourliness.
The Home Help Service does not pretend to accept full responsibility
for the domestic work in the home, but selective
help with difficult tasks preserves limited strength for lighter
everyday duties. The Home Help is often taken for granted and
this can be poor reward for untiring efforts but what greater
compliment could be paid than to be accepted as essential for
the wellbeing of another person.
The word "problem" is freely used today, the problem of the
aged, the problem family, etc., but perhaps society should carry
the title for its inability to accept responsibility for sections
which for one reason or another are unable to fit into the
present day pattern of life. The most valuable asset of a good
Home Help is her ability to accept a situation as she finds it
without condemnation, and to proffer help in a way which will
alleviate the immediate difficulty without embarrassment.
With an ever increasing number of employees personal contact
could become harder but whilst the desire to serve is the link